The human body is a unified whole. If one part does not work right, the whole body suffers. If a person smashes his thumb with a hammer, it’s not just the thumb in isolation that hurts. Other parts of the body may hurt, too, and the functioning of the whole body is impaired. Today, Pastor Bill will explain that as part of Jesus’ body, each member has a particular job to do and a place to belong. When any individual member is not fulfilling his or her purpose in the body, the whole body suffers.

Self-examination is an important part of living as an authentic Christian, but by nature, we prefer self-deception. Today, Pastor Bill will explain how deceiving yourself is easy and comfortable, but that it’s dangerous to lie to yourself. You want to believe yourself to be better, smarter, and more ethical than you really are, so careful, Spirit-directed self-examination keeps you honest with yourself and with God. The Bible says to confess your sin to God, which requires a certain amount of self-examination. 

Today, Pastor Bill will remind you that despite all the problems the church at Corinth had, Paul refers to them as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people”. It would be easy to read 1 and 2 Corinthians smugly, given the multitude of their problems, yet the same issues present in Corinth are found in the church today. The church in the 21st century still needs 1 and 2 Corinthians to know how to deal with today’s issues. Remember, you're also still a work in progress!

Have you ever experienced “Messy church” like Pastor Bill refers to in today’s message? It’s not a new thing, and it’s not uncommon. The Church has not been fully restored yet, so we can expect to find weaknesses until Christ brings us to perfection. That doesn’t mean we should be okay with it, though. We should strive for unity through the grace and love that Jesus extended to us. When disagreements arise, as they will, our response should look drastically different than this world's.

We tend to be our own worst critics. Even Moses, one of the most important figures in Biblical history, doubted that he was the right man for the job. The thing we need to remember, as Pastor Bill will remind us in today’s message, is that it’s not about us. It’s not our gifts or abilities that matter. God is the one who gives all good things, and when we step out in faith, trusting Him to provide, He won’t let us fail. He alone should receive the glory and honor for any good work He accomplishes in us.

Trials and tests…no one is without them.  You may look at your neighbor and think he has it all together.  But what you don’t realize is that his wife is suffering from cancer.  The neighbor on the other side is battling depression.  Your family has its own chaos, that feels isolating.  But what Pastor Bill wants you to realize today is that the pain and suffering you’re experiencing is something God will carry you through.  As trite as it sounds, He won’t allow you to suffer beyond what He’ll help you through.

Everybody has a curiosity about heaven and what that will be like.  It’s kind of the rage these days for someone to write a book about their near-death experience, where they saw things in heaven.  But today, Pastor Bill expresses from this passage how the Apostle Paul actually did experience heaven, and he wrote about it in 2nd Corinthians.  These verses make you wonder, and your imagination might go wild with what heaven could be, but God had a specific purpose in what Paul encountered! 

Will you face the hard in life, with a confidence that God is in it, doing something, or will you succumb to depression and despair?  Today, Pastor Bill challenges you to look at the trials and the challenges in life with a perspective that God is there with you.  He’s walking right next to you, and He has something for you, and others around you, to grow in, and become greater, because of these oppositions.  Think of yourself as the underdog, and there’s a thrilling comeback about to happen.

You try to prepare your kids as best you can for the real world. Some of it is from your own painful experiences as a child, or even now, as an adult.  That kid in middle school teased you about your appearance, and it left wounds.  Or you observe kids now who tease your child, and it breaks your heart.  Today, Pastor Bill helps you see that Paul had a care and concern for the Corinthians, because he was looking out for them, and had an invested interest in their spiritual life, just like a parent with a child.

Today, Pastor Bill provides us with more details of the suffering and torture that the Apostle Paul endured, including the brutality of scourging.  So now it’s time to think about your life.  What are the scars that you bear, for the sake of standing up for Christ, no matter what?  Do you find yourself out of a job because you refused to give in to the agenda that was being pushed?  Has your relationship with a relative changed, due to your allegiance to God over family?  The scars and wounds you receive are not for nothing.